Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1887-07-21
AN EXCELLENT LAW.
Boys and Tobacco, cofFse, Tea etc.

The recent Illinois Legislature passed q
single enactment, which, if enforced, is
alone OF vastly more value to the state
than the expense of the entire session,
and of the election in which the members
were chosen. We refer to the law pro-
hibiting the sale of tobacco in any form
to those under 16 years of age, with
heavy penalties for violation. The only
objection is that the age was not placed
at 81 instead of 16, SO as to cover the Pc
Rod of development and growth. What
ever may be the effect of tobacco upon
the human system after it has obtained
its full maturity, there is, and can be no
doubt that the absorption of nicotine in
Tobacco, with its disturbance of the sail
vary and other organs, is positively in
furious in the nascent period. The writ
er will remember while he lives the death
like sickness experienced when boy up
on the farm, from the simple attempt to
light hired mans pipe at a burning
stump, and bring it to him, distance of
only dozen rods or so. Though but q
few whiffs were taken, just enough to
keep it from going out, the almost instan-
eous results were severe retching, vom-
citing, faintness, and fear of immediate
death. Such violent effects show very
clearly the natural repulsion of the weed,
though in these days, the small cigar
cites, containing slight percentage of
tobacco DIETER if they had more tobacco
and less poison), enable boys to accustom
the system to poison by such slow de-
grees that they are not aware of the pow
er it is gaining over them.
When the muscles, the nerves and the
tissues have all acquired their full growth,
and become fixed for life, which occurs
at about twenty-five years, the effects of
tobacco and other narcotics are less
marked, and no doubt there are excep-
tional cases where moderate amount of
them may not be harmless, but the con-
trary. But tobacco, coffee, tea, alcohol,
even in the mildest and smallest amount
in beer, fermented cider, ETC., should
never be habitually taken, if at all, even
in small quantity, until the system has
acquired its full development If they
are used there never can be perfection of
body, mind or health. There is either
stimulating or soothing influence derived
from coffee, tea spices, etc., which some
times may be even useful in mature
years; but such benefit cannot be obtain
ed if the system becomes habituated to
them in youth and early manhood. There
are exceptions to all general rules, but it
may be set down as a positive fact that
those who use coffee, tea, tobacco, the
stronger spices, alcohol, even in simple
beer, from 81 to % years old, not one in
a thousand maintains health, and vigor of
body and mind beyond the age of fifty,
though there is small percentage OF
those who only moderately use some Of
these stimulants and narcotics, if begun
only after maturity, who retain their
physical and mental vigor fairly up to
three score or more. We frequently hear
that such and such an one, using alcohol
or tobacco, continues vigorous to extreme
old age, but these are very marked ex-
ceptions, numbering not one in a hun
bred thousand.
Physicians of large experience and OBJ
servation tell us that, as a general rule,
with very rare exceptions, boys who take
tobacco, even in the mildest form OF
cigarettes, are partially stunted in growth;
that their lungs are not properly devel-
oped and strong; that they tend to list
lessness, morbidness, and mental weak
ness; their sleep is unrefreshing; habits
destructive of vitality are promoted; that
the motor nerves are weakened as well as
the muscles, and that much physical ef-
fort is next to an impossibility; that the
Imagination is distorted, and hallucina-
lions, whims and false views of life are
thus induced. Similar results are pro-
duced by coffee and tea, though general
ly less marked and violent, because these
are taken but once, or at most twice a
day, and the system partially recuperates
from the ill effects between each partak-
ing of them, providing the youth has in
herited naturally strong, vigorous, ro-
bust constitution.
So far as this new law shall restrain or
prevent the sale of tobac co to minors, by
so much will it tend to increase the man
liness the health, the vigor, the general
physical and mental efficiency of the RI
sing generation, those who are soon to be
the active and acting citizens of the com
AS to cigarettes, which are now made
and used in countless millions, they are
not only ''nasty"-the only word by
which to properly characterize them
but large numbers of them are the worst |
form of tobacco. In smoking cigarettes
the oils and nicotines vaporize near the ig-
nited ends, are partially condensed in the
other ends, and they become SO strong
that even old smokers usually throw
away the last quarter or third. In any
of our large cities one can almost always
see young scavengers gathering these re-
jected stumps along the streets, in cor
ners, in hotels and in other public places.